Artizan Highlanders for the North West Frontier

My latest lot of figs from Matt of Glenbrook Games Painting Service arrived today. This time some Highlanders for the North West Frontier. Matt has done...as always...a superb job on these Artizan figs!

So I now have three units for The Men Who Would Be Kings...only a couple more and I can actually field an army!

Here are a few pics of the Highlanders with my other units...

Copplestone Ngoni

I recently got my latest batch of figs back from Matt of Glenbrook Games...and I finally managed to take a few pics of them with the ones I already had. Here are a few more pics...

Great to see all my Copplestone Ngoni together...though half a dozen were missing as they were hiding in another box! There are a few Foundry witch doctors in there, too. Who doesn't like a good witch doctor? Great for many a genre and they just look brilliant!

Anyway, I definitely have enough for an African Kingdoms column for Congo...but I think I may need some more for The Men Who Would Be Kings. Luckily, I shall be getting some more back from Matt next month!

Colonial Wars

I was wandering around my new home town of Thornbury recently when I came across this monument to a local man, Lieutenant Hector Maclaine of the Royal Horse Artillery, who was captured at the battle of Maiwand in 1880. The inscription reads:

Erected by public subscription in addition to a window in Thornbury Church to the memory of Lieut. Hector Maclaine, Royal Horse Artillery, who was taken prisoner while trying to get water for the wounded, after the battle of Maiwand, and was afterwards murdered in the camp of Ayoub Khan, near Candahar, on 1st September 1880.

After a little searching on the internet I came upon the excellent Thornbury Roots website which gives a little more detail:

Hector Maclaine, born on 24th November 1851 at Murtle, Aberdeenshire.  He was educated at Eton and Woolwich and commissioned into the Royal Horse Artillery on 6th January 1872.  He served for many years in India.  In December 1879 he volunteered for active service under General Roberts in Afghanistan where the English forces were fighting a claimant to the Afghan throne, Ayoub Khan.  On Christmas Day 1879 Hector was sent to the Khyber Pass.  He held the rank of lieutenant.  At the battle of Maiwand, fought on 27th July, 1880, Hector distinguished himself by his bravery.  After three hours of fighting his guns ran out of ammunition and he was attending to wounded men who had gathered at the guns.  He was captured and taken to Kandahar where he was treated badly in the first few days of his captivity.  Then a nobleman leader arrived in the camp where Hector was prisoner.  This leader had known Hector previously and he was given better treatment and held in the nobleman’s own bungalow.  Shortly after Hector was moved by Ayoub to another camp, but he was still treated well.  The English demanded Hector’s release and offered Ayub Khan an exchange of prisoners, but this offer was dismissed.  Thereupon General Roberts executed the famous march from Kabul to Kandahar, 313 miles over the worst country in Asia in 23 days in an attempt to save Hector. He managed to destroy Ayoub Khan’s large army with the loss of 40 men, but on the point that his army were breaking into the camp where Hector was held, a guard took it upon himself to slit Hector’s throat.

Although I have read a little about the battle of Maiwand and General Roberts' famous march, I confess I cannot remember reading anything about the unlucky Lieutenant Hector Maclaine. Fascinating.

In other news...my copy of The Men Who Would Be Kings finally arrived today! Hooray! Very much looking forward to sitting down and having a good read of this. 

Talking of which...I also recently picked up a few secondhand books on the Colonial period. First of all...

...The Colonial Wars Source Book by Philip J Haythornthwaite. I've seen this mentioned a few times on various blogs and forums recently and as it can be picked up quite cheap secondhand I grabbed myself a copy. Looks like an excellent resource book for the period.

Next up...

...The Blue Nile and The White Nile by Alan Moorehead. I'd also seen these recommended somewhere and again they can be picked up quite cheap secondhand. I've already dipped into these and they are very well written. Looking forward to reading them properly once I've finished my current book. 

What with The Men Who Would Be Kings and Congo, it really does seem to be all about the Colonial period at the moment!

The Army Lists in The Men Who Would Be Kings

Dan Mersey has just posted up the army lists for The Men Who Would Be King on his blog...

Anglo-Egyptian War and The Sudan

1. Beja

2. British

3. Camel Corps 1884–85

4. Egyptian

5. River Arab

Anglo-Zulu War and the First Boer War

6. Boer

7. British

8. Zulu

Darkest Africa

9. Explorers

10. Naval Landing Party

11. Slavers

12. Tribesmen

French Africa

13. French Foreign Legion

14. French Armée d’Afrique

15. Arabic

16. Dahomey

Italian Invasion of Ethiopia, 1896

17. Italian

18. Ethiopian

North West Frontier and The Great Game

19. Honorable East India Company 1840s

20. Khalsa Army 1840s

21. Afghan Regulars 1879

22. British 1879

23. Pathan 1879

24. Great Game Theoretical Russians

The Old West

25. Apache

26. Plains Tribes

27. US Cavalry

The Pig War Gone Hot

28. American

29. British

And Finally…

30. Danny and Peachey’s Private (Kafiristani) Army

Can't wait!

The North West Frontier

Pathan Guide, Colonel, Infantry, Political Officer.

My latest lot of figs from the inimitable Matt Slade arrived a couple of days ago....this time they are from the Artizan North West Frontier range as I slowly build up a couple of armies over the next several months for the upcoming The Men Who Would Be King due out in September.

Pathan Guide and Colonel

Political Officer

By adding a wily Pathan guide and a Political Officer, I will also be using these chaps for In Her Majesty's Name. And, of course, I had to get Danny, Peachy and Billy Fish!

The Men Who Would Be Kings Cover!

Just in case you haven't seen the superb Peter Dennis cover for the upcoming The Men Who Would Be Kings by Dan Mersey!

Artizan's The Chaps Who'd Like To Be King...Out Now!

Artizan have released their 'Chaps Who'd Like To Be King' pack. Buy them here!

Billy Fish...coming soon to Artizan's North-West Frontier Range!

North Star have just posted a pic on their Facebook page of a Billy Fish miniature to go with their upcoming Danny and Peachy miniatures as part of their North-West Frontier range. Just superb! 

Peachy and Danny...coming soon to Artizan's North-West Frontier Range!

North Star have just shown a pic on their Facebook page of a pair of upcoming figures for Artizan's North-West Frontier range. Another must-buy!